Mohammad Aziri; Researcher and expert on American issues

International Relations Think Tank: The phenomenon of military development and maintaining and strengthening world peace is of significant importance in international politics. International communities have made many efforts to achieve world peace; But the level of success and performance of governments and international organizations in this field shows significant differences. The approach of the United States and the European Union to military developments and world peace is also one of these differences. The approach of these two actors towards the issue of military development and world peace in general has different views and processes, and this policy has undergone significant changes over the past years based on the politicians’ understanding of international conditions.

Peace and military development are two key and mutually influencing concepts in international relations, which are often considered separately in human societies, which are usually considered as two contradictory variables. Peace in a general sense is defined as a state of absence of tension and conflict in human societies, while military development means increasing the military power of a country.

The apparent contradiction between peace and military development is the first point of view in examining this concept. It seems that the two concepts of peace and military development cannot exist in the same society at the same time. If the society moves towards peace and does its best to keep the peace and de-violence of the society, it will probably not think about military development. On the other hand, if a society moves towards military development and spends its resources on strengthening military power, it will probably not think about peace and deviolence. This apparent contradiction can make it appear that human societies must choose one of these two concepts and cannot give full attention to both at the same time. But the fact is that the conflict between peace and military development is not a real conflict. In fact, these two concepts can coexist with each other. Peace and military development can act as two important pillars in society. In other words, peace and deviolence can be used as a basis for military development. The more a society can maintain peace and promote non-violence in society, the less the need for military development. In other words, peace and deviolence can act as a bridge between society and military development.

The US approach to military development in the world generally relies on two main factors: ensuring national security and maintaining strategic interests. America, as one of the great military powers and global hegemon, tries to maintain its security and the international system. This effort includes preserving geographic privacy and international law, preventing military threats to different countries, and fighting terrorism. In addition, in the issue of maintaining strategic interests, it is trying to maintain access to natural resources, the balance of global markets, maintaining international trade, and maintaining political and military influence in strategic areas. The main priority of US foreign and domestic policy is to maintain national security and protect its national interests. For this purpose, the United States is always trying to expand its military power and move away from its military nature in order to maintain its hegemony in the international system and maintain and expand peace in the world. The main goal of America is to maintain and strengthen peace in the world by creating various mechanisms and expanding international cooperation in order to maintain and develop world peace, but looking at the actions and policies implemented by this country, it is evident that Washington’s priority is In the matter of developing and strengthening world peace, it is not only creating interactive mechanisms but also maximizing one’s power and maintaining world peace as an international gendarme.

On the other hand, the European Union, as a political and economic organization, has set its main goal to maintain peace and security in the European region. The European Union is not exclusively looking for its military development, and its main focus is on developing military and security cooperation with member states. This union tries to play a credible role in maintaining the security of the region and the world by developing military and security cooperation. Therefore, the approach of the European Union, as a result of the decision of the member states, to the issue of its military expansion and development in the world, is mostly in the form of military and security cooperation with allied countries as well as with other countries.

However, the; As the largest regional organization, looking at the history and philosophy of the formation of this union, the European Union always tends to develop peace and stability in its region and then at the global level. The members of this union are always trying to promote peace and development around the world by establishing close economic relations with other countries and using their soft power.

In general, the approach of the European Union to the issue of its military expansion and development in the world is based on military and security cooperation with member states and other countries, and the main goal of this union in this field is to maintain and contribute to the stability of peace and security in the world with The aim is to control the military development and use the tools of militarism as the last priority.

At the same time, this union, as one of the most important political-economic union in the world, uses various tools and programs for its military development, but unlike Washington, it did not use the tool of militarism as the first way to maintain peace and was able to maintain the balance. Between peace expansion and military development, take an important step in this direction.

In the end, the difference in the approach of the European Union and the United States in the issue of peace expansion and military development can be based on several different factors, some of which will be mentioned below:

Historical Approach: The European Union has a long history of peacekeeping and economic development. Based on the principles of cooperation and interaction between its member states, this union tries to prevent internal and international wars. In contrast, America is based on a very different history. America, as a world power, plays an active role in international wars and conflicts and acts independently.

Political approach: The European Union seeks to develop peace and stability in the European continent through political and economic cooperation. This union tries to promote cooperation and balance through interaction with its member countries and countries of other continents. On the other hand, America, as a world power, focuses more on realizing its national interests and maintaining its security, and in some cases it uses military methods to achieve its goals.

رویکرد اقتصادی: اتحادیه اروپا تاکید بر توسعه اقتصادی و تجارت بین کشورهای عضو خود دارد. این اتحادیه به وسیله ایجاد بازار مشترک و تسهیل تجارت و سرمایه‌گذاری، به تقویت اقتصادی و توسعه صلح در منطقه خود می‌پردازد. در مقابل، آمریکا با تأکید بر قدرت اقتصادی و تجارت بین‌المللی، تلاش می‌کند تا تأثیر خود را در سراسر جهان گسترش دهد و منافع اقتصادی خود را تضمین کند. در نهایت این مهم مشهود است؛ اتحادیه اروپا و آمریکا دارای تفاوت‌های مهم در رویکردهای خود به توسعه صلح هستند. اتحادیه اروپا بر تعامل و همکاری بین کشورهای عضو خود و سایر دولت ها تأکید می‌کند، در حالی که آمریکا بر تأکید بر قدرت و تأثیر خود بعنوان یک هژمون در جهان تمرکز دارد. لذا هر دو رویکرد، با توجه به شرایط و نیازهای خاص منطقه و نقش جهانی هر کشور، می‌تواند موثر و کارآمد باشد.